Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Personal Questions for the Meme

Dear Diary:It was a beautiful weekend in my real world and it seems to have run over to today. It's about time!! We need some warm weather to get rid of the chill of that horrible winter. So when Berry put out her Monday Meme and it required thinking on my part, I decided to find a chair some place on the beach to sit and think about my answers to all the questions.

When and how did you discover Second Life?I came into Second Life in March of 2008. A friend had previously joined the year before and told me what a great time she was having so I thought I'd give it a try.

Did you know about virtual worlds before or was this your first experience with them?I really wasn't experienced with virtual worlds. I had no idea what it would be like. I played SIMS a few times so I thought it might be the same.

Has Second Life met your expectations? I didn't come to Second Life with any preconceived ideas so I had no expectations to fill but it has been more than I thought it would be.

If you could teleport back to the first ten minutes of your avatar’s slife, what would youtell yourself?Don't be in such a hurry to do everything. Take your time and enjoy the world.

How long did it take you to master avatar flying and driving vehicles inworld?That's funny! I'm not sure I've mastered either of those things YET! I spend a lot of time just walking into things let alone flying.

Do you have a mystery alt?Yes I do. None of my friends know about my "alter ego".

Is your SL avatar a reflection of you, or someone you wished you could be?She is totally me. Perhaps the physical attributes are slightly different but personality, and emotionally it's me. I can't be someone I'm not so everything about her is just me.

Is there an individual you met in SL that inspired you in your RL? How?Shortly after I arrived, I met a woman who helped me with the simplest things, like how to dance, shopping, getting my first AO. She was extremely kind and patient with me and always willing to answer my stupid questions. I got to know her in both worlds. I didn't know it but she was very ill. She died. She showed me what strength can do in the face of adversity.

Do you feel it is easier to create stronger bonds/relationships with people you meetinworld as opposed to the real world? No. This is still a "virtual" world. I believe the face-to-face contact is still the best way to form a relationship with someone. However, I have made friends in Second Life that have also become real life friends, so even though we have not met directly, I do have a connection with them.

Did you ever imagine or believe people could fall in love with someone they never metbefore Second Life?Of course. There are many online dating sites where people talk and fall in love without meeting so I guess it could happen in Second Life too.

How has your perspective of dating changed (or not) since you started playing secondlife?No, nothing has changed.

How has your perspective of employment changed (or not) since you started playingsecond life?I didn't realize that people in this world could make a living until I read an article concerning a land owner who had made thousands of [real] dollars selling and renting property. I imagine the creators in Second Life also make some money and I'm sure as this virtual world goes on, more people will find this is a way for employment.

Name three things in both your lives that overlap each other significantly.Love of fashion; love of music; love of "newness"

If you could live your life more immersively in a virtual world, would you? (Kind of likethe Matrix)Oooohhhh....yes....definitely...as long as I could leave when I wanted to.

How do you think behavior changes for people if they’re inworld vs in real world? Whydo you think that is?Many people hide behind their avatar. It provides anonymity so their behaviour can be as repulsive as they want it to be.

How has second life consumerism changed your perception of spending habits, the valueof money, the need to be “bleeding edge” with fashion?I think I answered in #7 that I'm exactly like Dreamer. So I don't need to be "bleeding edge" with fashion but I do contribute to the Second Life economy [healthily I might add].

Do you think virtual worlds like SL drive and redefine human interaction or do theynarrow and limit it?Perhaps SL simultaneously drives interaction and limits it. I think virtual worlds help a lot of people who tend to be shy in our first world. In Second Life you can talk to anyone and join groups without having to meet someone first. However, you're still sitting behind a computer, by yourself, so it doesn't encourage one to move on and out of that room.

If technology progressed tomorrow to allow you to send emotions to people the way you’dsend text or voice messages, would it enrich your SL experience or infringe on it?I believe we all send emotions in some way or other right now.

Name three skills you attribute to having learned or honed in second life alone.photography, creativity and of course...dancing!

If your grand kids googled your Second Life Avatar’s name, would they be intrigued,disgusted, proud or something else?This question really made me laugh. By the time my grandkids would ever be on a computer, computers might be replaced by immersive technology. Then there would be more interesting things for them to do then log in to Second Life to read ole Grannie's diary.